After the elections in Turkey: Germany should support the pro-democracy movement of the Kurds and other minorities

Dear Mr. de Maizière, dear Mr. Maas

On behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), I would like to appeal to you – and to the entire German government – to reach out to Kurdish people and the other minority groups in Turkey, to strengthen the democracy movement in the country and to amnesty Kurdish activists who are imprisoned in Germany.
The election victory of the pro-Kurdish HDP (Peoples Democratic Party) in Turkey’s parliamentary elections is impressive: Now, Recep Tayyib Erdogan, the Turkish President, is not able to rule alone any more. The Kurds, Alevis, Yezidis, Assyrians/Aramaeans and other minorities played an important role in calming down the tense situation in the Middle East.
We urge the federal government of Germany to get involved in proactive attempts to solve the Kurdish question and other minority issues in Turkey – and to encourage and support the HDP’s peaceful and democratic mission.

With best regards,
Tilman Zülch
Secretary General of the STP

Header Photo: © Evgeni Zotov /Flickr